GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Long Island University football team opens the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 30, at the University of Florida. Opening kickoff at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The game will be televised digitally on SEC Network+ and ESPN+, with Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Stephanie Otey (sideline) on the call. Radio coverage will be available on the all-new LIU Sharks Audio Network, featuring the "Voice of the Sharks" Phil Constantino and veteran college sports broadcaster and producer Mike Murabito.
 
Quick Facts
-HISTORIC MATCHUP: Saturday's game marks the first all-time meeting between LIU and Florida and the first all-time meeting in football between an NEC member institution and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) institution.

-CHALLENGING SCHEDULE: With games at Florida and Eastern Michigan University, the Sharks open the season versus consecutive FBS opponents for the first time since 2021 (at FIU, at West Virginia, at Miami (OH)) and just the second time since LIU began playing Division I football in 2019.

-NEC PRESEASON POLL: LIU was picked to finish in a tie for third place out of eight teams by the conference's head coaches, alongside Robert Morris University.

-2024 IN REVIEW: The Sharks rattled off wins in three of their final four games to claim a top four finish in the NEC for the third consecutive season

-LEADING THE NATION: Last season, LIU led FCS football in kickoff return average (28.07 yards/return). The Sharks were led by Michael Love, who averaged 37.33 yards per return. Love received NFL mini-camp invites with the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts after graduating last spring.

-GREENWOOD CONTINUES TO RACK UP THE ACCOLADES: This offseason, redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Greenwood (Baldwin, N.Y.) was named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, a Second-Team All-American by Stats Perform, and a Third-Team All-American by FCS Central. Greenwood finished last season by earning Third-Team All-America recognition and Second-Team All-NEC honors at quarterback. He ranked third in the NEC and led all quarterbacks with 913 rushing yards and 76.1 rushing yards per game. Both marks ranked Greenwood within the top 50 in the FCS statistics and third-best among all FCS quarterbacks. Through the air, Greenwood threw for 921 yards with six touchdowns and just two interceptions. He accounted for 13 of the Sharks' 35 touchdowns in 2024, tacking on five rushing scores while catching two more.

-5 SHARKS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-NEC SELECTIONS: Five LIU Sharks earned preseason all-conference recognition from the NEC; Greenwood, sophomore wide receiver Cory Nichols, graduate student edge rusher DQ Watkins, redshirt senior defensive back Todd Bowles, Jr., and senior punter Will Lynch.